Xe Xenon
Element Information, Facts, Properties, Trends, Uses, Comparison with other elements

Xenon is a chemical element with symbol Xe and atomic number 54. It is a colorless, dense, odorless Noble Gas, that occurs in the Earth's atmosphere in trace amounts. Although generally unreactive, xenon can undergo a few chemical reactions such as the formation of xenon hexafluoroplatinate, the first Noble Gas compound to be synthesized.
It belongs to group 18 of the periodic table having trivial name noble gases, aerogens.
Xenon Facts
Read key information and facts about element Xenon
Name | Xenon |
Atomic Number | 54 |
Atomic Symbol | Xe |
Atomic Weight | 131.293 |
Phase | Gas (Monoatomic Gas ) |
Color | Colorless |
Appearance | colorless gas, exhibiting a blue glow when placed in a high voltage electric field |
Classification | Noble Gas |
Group in Periodic Table | 18 |
Group Name | helium family or neon family |
Period in Periodic Table | period 5 |
Block in Periodic Table | p -block |
Electronic Configuration | [Kr] 4d10 5s2 5p6 |
Electronic Shell Structure (Electrons per shell) | 2, 8, 18, 18, 8 |
Melting Point | 161.3 K |
Boiling Point | 165.1 K |
CAS Number | CAS7440-63-3 |
How to Locate Xenon on Periodic Table
Periodic table is arranged by atomic number, number of protons in the nucleus which is same as number of electrons. The atomic number increases from left to right. Periodic table starts at top left ( Atomic number 1) and ends at bottom right (atomic number 118). Therefore you can directly look for atomic number 54 to find Xenon on periodic table.
Another way to read periodic table and locate an element is by using group number (column) and period number (row). To locate Xenon on periodic table look for cross section of group 18 and period 5 in the modern periodic table.
Xenon History
The element Xenon was discovered by W. Ramsay and W. Travers in year 1898 in United Kingdom. Xenon was first isolated by W. Ramsay and W. Travers in 1898. Xenon derived its name from the Greek xenos, meaning 'strange'.
On July 12, 1898 Ramsay separated a third noble gas within three weeks, from liquid argon by difference in boiling point.
Xenon Presence: Abundance in Nature and Around Us
The table below shows the abundance of Xenon in Universe, Sun, Meteorites, Earth's Crust, Oceans and Human Body.
ppb by weight (1ppb =10^-7 %) | ppb by atoms (1ppb =10^-7 %) | |
---|---|---|
Abundance in Universe | 10 | 0.09 |
Abundance in Sun | - | - |
Abundance in Meteorites | - | - |
Abundance in Earth's Crust | 0.020 | 0.003 |
Abundance in Oceans | 0.005 | 0.00024 |
Abundance in Humans | - | - |
Crystal Structure of Xenon
The solid state structure of Xenon is Face Centered Cubic.
The Crystal structure can be described in terms of its unit Cell. The unit Cells repeats itself in three dimensional space to form the structure.
Unit Cell Parameters
The unit cell is represented in terms of its lattice parameters, which are the lengths of the cell edges Lattice Constants (a, b and c)
a | b | c |
---|---|---|
620.23 pm | 620.23 pm | 620.23 pm |
and the angles between them Lattice Angles (alpha, beta and gamma).
alpha | beta | gamma |
---|---|---|
π/2 | π/2 | π/2 |
The positions of the atoms inside the unit cell are described by the set of atomic positions ( xi, yi, zi) measured from a reference lattice point.
The symmetry properties of the crystal are described by the concept of space groups. All possible symmetric arrangements of particles in three-dimensional space are described by the 230 space groups (219 distinct types, or 230 if chiral copies are considered distinct.
Space Group Name | Fm_ 3m |
Space Group Number | 225 |
Crystal Structure | Face Centered Cubic |
Number of atoms per unit cell | 4 |

The number of atoms per unit cell in a simple cubic, face-centered cubic and body-centred cubic are 1,4,2 respectively.
Xenon Atomic and Orbital Properties
Xenon atoms have 54 electrons and the electronic shell structure is [2, 8, 18, 18, 8] with Atomic Term Symbol (Quantum Numbers) 1S0.
Atomic Number | 54 |
Number of Electrons (with no charge) | 54 |
Number of Protons | 54 |
Mass Number | 131 |
Number of Neutrons | 77 |
Shell structure (Electrons per energy level) | 2, 8, 18, 18, 8 |
Electron Configuration | [Kr] 4d10 5s2 5p6 |
Valence Electrons | 5s2 5p6 |
Valence (Valency) | 6 |
Main Oxidation States | 0 |
Oxidation States | 0, 2, 4, 6, 8 |
Atomic Term Symbol (Quantum Numbers) | 1S0 |
Bohr Atomic Model of Xenon - Electrons per energy level

n | s | p | d | f |
---|
Ground State Electronic Configuration of Xenon - neutral Xenon atom
Abbreviated electronic configuration of Xenon
The ground state abbreviated electronic configuration of Neutral Xenon atom is [Kr] 4d10 5s2 5p6. The portion of Xenon configuration that is equivalent to the noble gas of the preceding period, is abbreviated as [Kr]. For atoms with many electrons, this notation can become lengthy and so an abbreviated notation is used. This is important as it is the Valence electrons 5s2 5p6, electrons in the outermost shell that determine the chemical properties of the element.
Unabbreviated electronic configuration of neutral Xenon
Complete ground state electronic configuration for the Xenon atom, Unabbreviated electronic configuration
1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p6 3d10 4s2 4p6 4d10 5s2 5p6
Electrons are filled in atomic orbitals as per the order determined by the Aufbau principle, Pauli Exclusion Principle and Hund’s Rule.

Atomic Structure of Xenon
Xenon atomic radius is 108 pm, while it's covalent radius is 130 pm.
Atomic Radius Calculated | 108 pm (1.08 Å) |
Atomic Radius Empirical | - (0 Å) |
Atomic Volume | 22.4128 cm3/mol |
Covalent Radius | 130 pm (1.3 Å) |
Van der Waals Radius | 216 pm |
Neutron Cross Section | 25 |
Neutron Mass Absorption | 0.0083 |
Atomic Spectrum of Xenon
Xenon Chemical Properties: Xenon Ionization Energies and electron affinity
The electron affinity of Xenon is 0 kJ/mol.
Valence | 6 |
Electronegativity | 2.6 |
ElectronAffinity | 0 kJ/mol |
Ionization Energy of Xenon
Refer to table below for Ionization energies of Xenon
Ionization energy number | Enthalpy - kJ/mol |
---|---|
1st | 1170.4 |
2nd | 2046.4 |
3rd | 3099.4 |
Xenon Physical Properties
Refer to below table for Xenon Physical Properties
Density | 0.0059 g/cm3 |
Molar Volume | 22.4128 cm3/mol |
Elastic Properties
Young Modulus | - |
Shear Modulus | - |
Bulk Modulus | - |
Poisson Ratio | - |
Hardness of Xenon - Tests to Measure of Hardness of Element
Mohs Hardness | - |
Vickers Hardness | - |
Brinell Hardness | - |
Xenon Electrical Properties
Xenon is Conductor of electricity. Refer to table below for the Electrical properties ofXenon
Electrical Conductivity | - |
Resistivity | - |
Superconducting Point | - |
Xenon Heat and Conduction Properties
Thermal Conductivity | 0.00565 W/(m K) |
Thermal Expansion | - |
Xenon Magnetic Properties
Magnetic Type | Diamagnetic |
Curie Point | - |
Mass Magnetic Susceptibility | -4.3e-9 m3/kg |
Molar Magnetic Susceptibility | -5.65e-10 m3/mol |
Volume Magnetic Susceptibility | -2.54e-8 |
Optical Properties of Xenon
Refractive Index | 1.000702 |
Acoustic Properties of Xenon
Speed of Sound | 1090 m/s |
Xenon Thermal Properties - Enthalpies and thermodynamics
Refer to table below for Thermal properties of Xenon
Melting Point | 161.3 K (-111.85°C, -169.32999999999993 °F) |
Boiling Point | 165.1 K (-108.05°C, -162.48999999999995 °F) |
Critical Temperature | 289.77 K |
Superconducting Point | - |
Enthalpies of Xenon
Heat of Fusion | 2.3 kJ/mol |
Heat of Vaporization | 12.64 kJ/mol |
Heat of Combustion | - |
Xenon Isotopes - Nuclear Properties of Xenon
Xenon has 38 isotopes, with between 110 and 147 nucleons. Xenon has 9 stable naturally occuring isotopes.
Isotopes of Xenon - Naturally occurring stable Isotopes: 124Xe, 126Xe, 128Xe, 129Xe, 130Xe, 131Xe, 132Xe, 134Xe, 136Xe.
Isotope | Z | N | Isotope Mass | % Abundance | T half | Decay Mode |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
110Xe | 54 | 56 | 110 | Synthetic | ||
111Xe | 54 | 57 | 111 | Synthetic | ||
112Xe | 54 | 58 | 112 | Synthetic | ||
113Xe | 54 | 59 | 113 | Synthetic | ||
114Xe | 54 | 60 | 114 | Synthetic | ||
115Xe | 54 | 61 | 115 | Synthetic | ||
116Xe | 54 | 62 | 116 | Synthetic | ||
117Xe | 54 | 63 | 117 | Synthetic | ||
118Xe | 54 | 64 | 118 | Synthetic | ||
119Xe | 54 | 65 | 119 | Synthetic | ||
120Xe | 54 | 66 | 120 | Synthetic | ||
121Xe | 54 | 67 | 121 | Synthetic | ||
122Xe | 54 | 68 | 122 | Synthetic | ||
123Xe | 54 | 69 | 123 | Synthetic | ||
124Xe | 54 | 70 | 124 | 0.09% | Stable | N/A |
125Xe | 54 | 71 | 125 | Synthetic | ||
126Xe | 54 | 72 | 126 | 0.09% | Stable | N/A |
127Xe | 54 | 73 | 127 | Synthetic | ||
128Xe | 54 | 74 | 128 | 1.92% | Stable | N/A |
129Xe | 54 | 75 | 129 | 26.44% | Stable | N/A |
130Xe | 54 | 76 | 130 | 4.08% | Stable | N/A |
131Xe | 54 | 77 | 131 | 21.18% | Stable | |
132Xe | 54 | 78 | 132 | 26.89% | Stable | N/A |
133Xe | 54 | 79 | 133 | Synthetic | ||
134Xe | 54 | 80 | 134 | 10.44% | Stable | N/A |
135Xe | 54 | 81 | 135 | Synthetic | ||
136Xe | 54 | 82 | 136 | 8.87% | Stable | N/A |
137Xe | 54 | 83 | 137 | Synthetic | ||
138Xe | 54 | 84 | 138 | Synthetic | ||
139Xe | 54 | 85 | 139 | Synthetic | ||
140Xe | 54 | 86 | 140 | Synthetic | ||
141Xe | 54 | 87 | 141 | Synthetic | ||
142Xe | 54 | 88 | 142 | Synthetic | ||
143Xe | 54 | 89 | 143 | Synthetic | ||
144Xe | 54 | 90 | 144 | Synthetic | ||
145Xe | 54 | 91 | 145 | Synthetic | ||
146Xe | 54 | 92 | 146 | Synthetic | ||
147Xe | 54 | 93 | 147 | Synthetic |
Regulatory and Health - Health and Safety Parameters and Guidelines
Database Search
List of unique identifiers to search the element in various chemical registry databases
Database | Identifier number |
---|---|
CAS Number - Chemical Abstracts Service (CAS) | CAS7440-63-3 |
RTECS Number | RTECSZE1280000 |
CID Number | CID23991 |
Gmelin Number | Gmelin1125 |
NSC Number | - |
Compare Xenon with other elements
Compare Xenon with all Group 18 elements
Compare Xenon with all Period 5 elements
Compare Xenon with all Noble Gas elements
FAQs
What is the electronic configuration of Xenon?
The electronic configuration of Xenon is 1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p6 3d10 4s2 4p6 4d10 5s2 5p6.
What is the abbreviated electronic configuration of Xenon?
The abbreviated electronic configuration of Xenon is [Kr] 4d10 5s2 5p6. To form abbreviated notation of electronic configuration, the completely filled subshells are replaced by the noble gas of the preceding period in square brackets.
What is the symbol of Xenon?
Symbol of Xenon is Xe. Xenon is a chemical element with symbol Xe and atomic number 54.
What is the position of Xenon in the Periodic Table?
Xenon is a chemical element with the symbol Xe and atomic number 54. Xenon is the 54 element on the periodic table. It is located in group 18 and period 5 in the modern periodic table.
What is the atomic number of Xenon?
The atomic number of Xenon is 54.
What is the color of Xenon?
Xenon is Colorless.
Who discovered Xenon?
The element Xenon was discovered by W. Ramsay and W. Travers in year 1898 in United Kingdom. Xenon was first isolated by W. Ramsay and W. Travers in 1898.
How many valence electrons does a Xenon atom have?
Xenon has 6 valence electrons. Xenon has 54 electrons out of which 6 valence electrons are present in the 5s2 5p6 outer orbitals of atom.
What is the melting Point of Xenon?
Melting Point of Xenon is 161.3 K.
What is the boiling Point of Xenon?
Boiling Point of Xenon is 165.1 K.
What is the melting Point of Xenon in Kelvin?
Melting Point of Xenon in Kelvin is 161.3 K.
What is the boiling Point of Xenon in Kelvin?
Boiling Point of Xenon in Kelvin is 165.1 K.
What is the electronic configuration of Xenon 54?
The electronic configuration of Xenon will be 1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p6 3d10 4s2 4p6 4d10 5s2 5p6.
How do you write the electron configuration for Xenon?
The electronic configuration of Xenon will be 1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p6 3d10 4s2 4p6 4d10 5s2 5p6.